When the 2026 Census comes knocking, every Australian needs to be seen, heard and counted – including people who are experiencing homelessness. Here’s how this year’s national count is going beyond the data to meet people where they’re at.
As a person who has grappled with homelessness for nearly four decades – from the age of 16 up until recently – Sydney‑based Big Issue vendor and Classroom speaker Rachel’s last experience with the Census was tricky.
“It was really, really hard, because I went through so many years of just being a number,” the 53-year-old recalls. “It was hard because they asked you about your education and all that stuff, and then you think…what if I had had this opportunity?”
In the upcoming Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will once again try to capture the data of people who have been in Rachel’s shoes, 30 years after the government agency first targeted them with a specific strategy. This year’s survey also happens to come just after National Homelessness Week, which runs from 4 to 9 August.
The Census is the only official national estimate of homelessness and is used to plan and fund services for people experiencing homelessness, says the ABS. This includes emergency shelters, family and domestic violence programs, transitional housing and programs for young people. According to the last count, held in 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic, there were an estimated 122,494 people experiencing homelessness. Rough sleeping represented a minority (about 7,636 people, or six per cent), with the vast majority instead living in insecure housing or temporary accommodation, including couch surfing or sleeping in cars.
Census national spokesperson Emily Walter points out that there have been tailored approaches to support participation from every Australian – no matter where they sleep – for at least the last three decades. “Field managers identified people who were sleeping rough by visiting known hotspots, offering refreshments to encourage people to participate, and going along with mobile food vans available to people experiencing homelessness,” Walter says, looking back to the 1996 survey. “The homelessness sector is critical to a successful Census as they help us to reach and encourage accurate completion.”
Between 10 and 16 August, staff will visit areas where people are known to be and help them to complete their form by doing interviews. Those staying in crisis accommodation, shelters, refuges and boarding houses will receive papers from their provider on the night of 11 August. Others who are couch surfing can be included on the form of the household where they are staying or request a separate one.
Since 1996, the ABS has made changes to its strategy, including the introduction of a short form and a condensed version of the main one, for enumerating people quickly in crowded places. They have also developed processes to protect the privacy and safety of people in refuges, limiting access to the information and ensuring only specialist staff are able to distribute and collect forms via a manager.
According to The Big Issue’s National Operations Manager Jeremy Urquhart, who has spoken to vendors in the past few weeks, some take a keen interest in the Census and are aware of how the data is used to inform decisions. But others don’t know it exists. “There are vendors who simply don’t remember ever hearing about the Census, let alone participating in the Census before,” he says.
Rachel, who describes her childhood with her parents as “very lonely”, moved out of home to live with her grandparents when she was about 15. She remembers seeing her grandfather filling out a form: “I asked him about it, and he told me that it was something the government did to make sure that they were prepared for the future – for infrastructure and the health system and all that stuff our taxes pay for – so there’ll be enough resources.”
Rachel met her then-partner when she was about 18 and working full time. By the time she was 25, she had four children and was in “a pretty sticky situation” due to her partner’s mental health issues: “I wasn’t safe indoors or outdoors,” she says. Due to fact that she and her family had to move so frequently, they never received a Census form in about 20 years.
The last Census Rachel filled in was at the shelter in which she was living. It was given to her by a case worker, who explained the process. This was in 2021, and Rachel remembers it as a difficult experience. “It was like, ‘They just want all our information to spy on us,’” she says, adding that the form’s details also made her think about her life and if she’d done things differently. “It made me feel a little bit sad and bad.”
Tim, a Perth-based vendor, experienced homelessness from 2012 for about a decade after losing his job. His only experience of filling out the Census forms was prior to this, while he was living with his family.
“[During] the 10 years on the street and [in] share houses, I didn’t see it and I didn’t know I had to do it,” he says. Tim believes a lot of people experiencing homelessness may not want to be approached about completing it, anyway. Having since gotten back on his feet in the past few years – he is now renting his own place – Tim feels he can understand the process more, because “we need to know exactly how many people are around”.
Louis, one of The Big Issue’s longest-serving vendors, stresses that the Census can make the situation better for people experiencing homelessness. “It helps determine what the quality of life for us will be in the next 10 years,” the Melbourne vendor says. “I always feel I am contributing to the planning of our future nation.” He adds that the ABS needs information so funding can be allocated to homes, education and elderly welfare, among other areas.
This is echoed by fellow Melburnian Cheryl, a longtime Women’s Workforce participant and a lived‑experience speaker with the Big Issue Classroom. She says that she views the Census as an “amazing idea” because “there isn’t enough low‑income housing and even that is now out of reach for some people.”
Her advice to Census staff when meeting rough sleepers: “Be kind and patient with people…explain why they need to be counted.”
Andrew Denton, a Salvation Army program manager in Adelaide who oversees teams working with rough sleepers, says that the reality for someone navigating homelessness is that the Census may not be a priority, or their trust with services may have already been broken.
This year, the charity will again be partnering with the ABS to coordinate responses. The Salvation Army will be supporting areas across Adelaide city where rough sleepers can speak to ABS staff and get help with filling out a particular form. This will come with a hot meal. “We really want to make sure people are counted as humans and not just numbers, so capturing that journey as much as the Census can is really important,” says Denton.
It’s the similar situation in New South Wales, where the St Vincent de Paul Society will be shadowed by the ABS team to complete interviews where appropriate. Anna Scott, the society’s Director of Homelessness and Housing, says this approach is important where workers already have relationships with the people they support and can assist in explaining why and what this is for.
“Our case workers and support workers will also assist people to complete the forms if needed,” Scott says. “We will hand out forms to people staying at our services and we will ensure everyone has an option to participate and the information to make this decision.”
Rachel, who has been living in social housing for five years, will be using her own experience to give back. On Census night, she and her daughter, working with non-profit StreetCare, will be helping to explain to those in temporary accommodation and social housing the different types of forms and helping people complete them.
“My focus is letting people know that the information they put there isn’t going to bring the police around; isn’t going to inform Housing that they’re doing the wrong thing,” she says.
Rachel’s views on the survey have changed over the years, and she now thinks that it’s important that people in the same boat she was once in are counted. “I understand that the policymakers don’t have much idea about homelessness and the way the chain reactions work,” she says. “Over the last three, four years we’ve been able to work really well with them and explain why things might be going wrong because of issues with communication.”
Over in Perth, Tim is doing his part, too. About a month ago, he took in a friend who was dealing with homelessness and says they’ll be doing the Census together. When asked what it would be like to be included, he says, “It feels like I’m here.”
By Amy Fallon @amyfallon.com
Amy Fallon is a freelance journalist covering human rights, social justice, lifestyle, culture and travel.
Published in ed#766